The Neckar-Alb-Aare Roman Route

Exploring the fascinating history of Rome's provinces

The approximately 400 km long Neckar-Alb-Aare Roman Route follows the course of the ancient Via Romana that connected the Roman legion camp of Vindonissa (now Windisch in Swiss Aargau) and the settlement of Grinario (now Köngen near Stuttgart), and was depicted in the Tabula Peutingeriana, a Roman road map. An unusual route that shouldn't only be discovered by car.

Based on what the Tabula Peutingeriana tells us, the Neckar-Alb-Aare Roman Route connects the most important places in the former Roman province of Germania superior. Every element of this varied countryside, from the heights of the Swabian Albs and their many castles to the dramatic Neckar river and the quaint valleys of the High Rhine and the Aar river, will captivate any visitor with an interest in Roman history and sophisticated culture.

The Romans: the architects of Europe

Archaeological finds unearthed along the route convey a comprehensive picture of culture and everyday life during this period: impressive viaducts, country estates and forts, thermal springs, baths and heating systems, plumbing systems and latrines, streets, milestones and settlements: each of these was vital for organising, governing and sustaining the formidable Roman Empire.

Legacies of an empire

A number of themed museums containing a myriad of archaeological finds line the route. Without the Romans' achievements, our own culture would be unthinkable. The Roman Empire has long since collapsed but its achievements live on as the Romans' ideas and inventions laid the foundations for Europe's Modern Age. Evidence of Roman innovations can still be found today in many cities dating from the Roman Age: a democratic system of government; sophisticated plumbing systems; or the systems of state. Even the fundamental civil and penal laws found in modern legal systems have been incorporated from Roman laws, yet more evidence of the huge impact the Romans have had on today's world.

And the Romans did even more for us

The uniquely cultivated landscape on either side of the route also has something to offer visitors! These include proud castles, stately palaces and romantic churches with views that reach wide over the plateaux, whose charm is enhanced by events such as Roman days, games, banquets and chariot racing. This rural paradise also offers hikers and cyclists enough hills and valleys to help improve their fitness, health and wellbeing.